This invention relates to card games and more particularly to methods and apparatus for playing card games, such as poker, multiple times. It also relates to graphical user interface features for a computer or other electronic game device, which are advantageous when playing multi-play games. The methods and user interface features can be used in electronic games, for example games that are provided by a gaming web site on the World Wide Web.
The well-known poker game five-card draw involves each player receiving an initial hand of five cards. One at a time, each player makes a selection of cards they wish to hold. They then discard unwanted cards and receive a replacement of discarded cards. The resulting hand is then ranked in accordance with poker hand rankings and the hand with the highest ranking wins.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,823,873 and 6,007,066, both issued to Ernest Moody, disclose multi-hand variations of five-card draw poker, wherein multiple hands are played simultaneously in an electronic video poker format. In one representative example, a card game is played in which three rows of cards are dealt to a player. The player makes a wager for each row of cards. All three rows of cards are dealt face up with each row having the same cards by rank and suit. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from one of the rows as cards to be held. The cards that are held are also held in all of the other rows. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into each row. The poker hand ranking of each five card hand by row is determined. The player is then paid for any winning poker hands based on a pay table and the amount of the player's wager.
The graphical user interface aspects of the '873 and '066 patents are rudimentary at best and are not especially well suited to many environments, including on-line poker in which a player uses their computer to access a gaming application hosted by a web site on the World Wide Web. There is a need in the art for an improved multi-play poker game, and associated graphical user interface design, which enhances the user experience.